Switched from bulk loading my own 35mm to buying pre-rolled after 3 years

Honestly I used to love the ritual of sitting down with a bulk loader and a bunch of empty cassettes, but ever since I moved to a place with no dedicated dark space it just became a hassle. Now I just grab a few rolls from the local shop even if it costs me $8 more per roll, has anyone else given up on bulk loading for convenience?

2 comments

2 Comments

troyp371mo ago

Tbh I gotta ask, is the ritual really that important? Like you're talking about sitting down with a bulk loader and empty cassettes like it's some kind of sacred ceremony. It's just loading film into a canister, man. I get that having no dark space is a pain but spending $8 more per roll adds up fast. That's like an extra $100 a year if you shoot a roll a week. Honestly I think people overhype the whole "experience" of bulk loading. It's kind of like people who spend hours grinding their own coffee beans when a decent bag of ground coffee tastes fine. Not saying you're wrong for switching, just seems like a lot of fuss over something that's mostly just a chore.

danieltaylor1mo ago

I started bulk loading when I was living in a tiny apartment with no darkroom access, and for me it was more about the money than the ritual. The first time I sat down with a bulk loader and a bunch of reused cassettes, it took me maybe 20 minutes to load 10 rolls, and that saved me roughly $80 compared to buying them pre-loaded. Honestly, after the first couple tries it just becomes muscle memory, like tying your shoes, and the savings add up faster than you'd think.